Study finds high levels of plastic in Lake Erie

8:17 AM,
Dec. 13, 2012

This sample taken from one of the Great Lakes shows some of the plastic found there.

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A group of researchers have found more plastic in water taken from Lake Erie than in samples taken from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The garbage patch has been well-publicized in recent years as a place in the Pacific Ocean the size of Texas that is filled with degrading plastics: bags, pieces of bottle and tiny bits called microplastics.

In the three Great Lakes the researchers sampled - Erie, Huron and Superior - they found plenty of microplastics, which measure less than 1 millimeter in diameter. ...